A wildfire in Banff National Park, situated approximately 80 kilometres north of the Banff townsite, has drastically increased in size in the last day.
Parks Canada officials say the fire on the north slopes of Snarl Peak was ignited Tuesday by a lightning strike.
On Tuesday afternoon the fire’s size was estimated at five hectares. As of early Wednesday afternoon, the wildfire had encompassed more than 300 hectares of land.
Parks Canada conducted a thorough ground search and determined all park visitors had vacated the region. All backcountry camping bookings in the lower Clearwater River valley have been closed.
The lower Clearwater River valley is closed:
- Between Roaring creek/Martin Lake junction to the park’s eastern boundary near Indianhead creek
- Between Peters Creek and Divide pass
The fire is located in a remote section of the park and crews are attempting aerial water drops and sprinkler lines have been erected to prevent the wildfire from spreading. Additional fire crews have been allocated from Mount Revelstoke-Glacier and Prince Albert national parks.
Due to the drier than normal conditions, fire bans remain in place in the following national parks:
- Banff
- Yoho
- Kootenay
- Jasper
- Mount Revelstoke
- Glacier
For additional information on area closures, visit Banff National Park Important Bulletins.
